Q: How long have you been involved in the bodybuilding, health, and fitness industry? How did you start in the industry and get so well known?

WB: I have been involved in the “biz” for almost 20 years at this point. Back in the day, when I had a private training business, people kept telling me I should write articles for the magazines. I had a good reputation in the local area for getting bodybuilders into shape, pre-contest. At the time, I was also doing some local seminars and people kept telling me I should send in some articles to the bodybuilding magazines. That’s more or less where it started for me.

Interview Conducted by Josh Beaty The following interview was conducted by Josh Beaty with Layne Norton, Jamie Hale, Alan Aragon and Will Brink. Sit back and enjoy a very informative discussion.

J Beaty: The big focus in hypertrophy research lately has the mTOR pathway. What impact does this research have on bodybuilders?

L Norton: The mTOR pathway is a major cellular anabolic pathway that is responsible for much of the anabolic response to nutrient stimulus. In adult subjects, amino acids (specifically leucine) are responsible for triggering mTOR activation. mTOR essentially acts as a ‘leucine gauge.’ If leucine levels increase, mTOR becomes active & activates other components of the protein synthetic pathway because high leucine levels indicate a fed state, and ample amino acids are present for protein synthesis to occur. If leucine levels drop, mTOR becomes less active as it senses that there are not enough amino acids and energy to continue protein synthesis.

DC: How did you break into this industry?

WB: People kept telling me I should write articles for the magazines. I was a private trainer in the Boston area and had a good reputation for getting bodybuilders into shape. I used to do some local seminars and people kept telling me I should send in some articles to the bodybuilding magazines.

They felt I had a lot of knowledge I should share with people, so on a whim I sent in an article. After that, companies started contacting me to do consulting work and so on. One thing just seemed to build on the other. The rest as they say, is history.